Message of peace for Indonesia from world's 'little angels'

Yusuf Susilo Hartono, Contributor, Jakarta

"Little Angels" from around the world are bringing messages of peace to Indonesia, a country riddled by economic, social, political and moral crises.

The children convey their messages in paintings displayed at the National Gallery on Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur No.4, opposite Gambir railway station, Central Jakarta.

The exhibition, which began on Jan. 17, runs through Jan. 27 and may be extended for another three or four days if attendance is unusually high.

The works exhibited all reflect children's honesty in expressing themselves, portraying a variety of objects (from empirical, psychological up to virtual realities), techniques and messages.

These messages in particular, are loud and clear as if the "Little Angels" were delivering sermons to the "sinful" adults. So the exposition is probably good for those who need to hear the voice of honesty, such as politicians, polluters, provocateurs, police officers, businesspeople, educators and religious leaders.

The exhibition is also good, not only for children, but also for parents to learn why it is important for them to give their children the freedom to express themselves to achieve better imagination and creativity.

Held by the National Gallery in cooperation with Soka Gakkai International and Saddharma Pundarika Indonesia, the show is supported by UNESCO's Directorate of Art and the State Ministry for Culture and Tourism.

Displaying 310 paintings and selected from the work of about 100,000 children from some 161 countries across the world including Indonesia, it is part of a roving exhibition, which started in Japan in 1995.

Indonesia is the 26th country to host the exhibition.

"After Indonesia, the Philippines will host it," said chairman of Saddharma Pundarika Indonesia Udin Tirta, who chairs the exhibition organizing committee.

Of course, within the seven years since the exhibition was first held in Japan, the child painters have grown into teenagers and the world that they have painted has certainly changed.

Nevertheless, the theme of the exhibition, "Earth: Enjoy, Appreciate, Realize, Try, Hope" and its sub-theme, "Message of Peace", remain vigorous in their appeal.

These children's paintings, as president of Soka Gakkai International Daisuke Ikeda has said, are really like heaven-sent harbingers of peace. These works of art portray the boys' universe and the girls' palace of dreams.

"Even though the cold war has ended, the international community is mired in acute disorder. In this context, the precious and joyful messages from "the delegates of the future" have become increasingly radiant," he said.

Once again, given the seven-year passage of time, one should not expect to find Indonesian children portraying the fall of Soeharto's New Order regime, or American kids painting the World Trade Center tragedy with its dramatic global impact, or Afghan children sketching the indiscriminate bombing of Afghanistan by the U.S. and its allies.

Among the pictures on display is 11-year-old Afghan boy Elias Wardok's black-on-white representation of a mother in a typically Taliban burqa (female garment allowing its wearer only a restricted view from a narrow eye opening), with a child on her lap.

Kathleen Doly, 8, of the U.S. painted a girl with plaited hair wearing a broad smile, one that is plain and sincere rather than the American leaders' smile appearing on TV. Dimas, 9, one of the three from Indonesia, depicts in his crayon drawing a mother-and- child travel scene against a hilly backdrop.

Maligna, 10, from Laos presents a family dinner with a cat on the floor, in a bamboo home. It strongly radiates an atmosphere of affection, friendliness and peace.

India's A. Raja, 10, flaunts his portrait of Gandhi, bespectacled and giving a smile of nonviolence.

The gaiety of Pakistan's Aug. 14 Independence Day celebrations with music symbols decorating the sky is the cheerful expression of Anum Nasio, 7, whereas Len Mao Mao, 4, has a man on horseback as in a Chinese painting.

The woodcut style of Nuangkritthi Singto, 13, conveys the idea of environmental damage, and by the same method Dusan Misek, 12, demonstrates his four-headed dinosaur, with one of its heads sneaking into a tower. Dominantly brown, this painting seems too good by children's standards.

Indeed, in what National Gallery chief Watie Moerany described as the biggest children's painting exhibition ever held in Indonesia today, many of the predominantly "nontechnical" pictures have taken heed of the "technical" aspect, although the sources of their techniques are not much known. The works being shown also include collages and two-dimensional graphics.

In order to enliven the event, a painting competition for children aged 4 to 9 and a workshop have been organized as additional highlights, besides the directorate of arts' conferment of awards to 44 Indonesian kids winning painting contests in ASEAN, India, China and Japan.